REA extends power connectivity to more rural households
Written by Millennium on August 6, 2019
The Rural Electrification Authority (REA) has extended power connectivity from the initial 166 to 173 households in Luangeni village in Chipata district, Eastern Province.
REA planning engineer Olga Mugala said the K1.2 million project initially connected 166 grass-thatched houses on its launch and has continued to expand.
Ms Mugala said the households were benefitting from the Luangeni Intensification Grid Extension project which is being implemented under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between REA and ZESCO Limited commenced in 2016.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Ms Mugala said the Luangeni project gave REA the impetus to do other projects of the same nature in Chavuma in North-Western Province and Mununshi in Luapula Province respectively.
She said REA was currently implementing the electrification of grass thatched houses in Mutanda in North-Western Province and Mokambo in Mufulira district on the Copperbelt.
Ms Mugala said by 2030, REA targeted to provide power to 51 percent of the households in rural areas in Zambia.
She said REA had not only focused on expanding the national grid but also on the use of renewable energy sources such as solar home use installations and solar mini grids.
Ms Mugala said REA has a solar mini-grid in operation in Luapula Province while two are under construction.
She said under the 2015 living conditions demographic survey, it was disclosed that Zambia’s rural electrification for grid extension was at 4.4 percent.
And Luangeni village headman Francis Soko commended government for connecting households in his village.
Mr Soko implored government to extend the gesture to other neighbouring villages so that development may also help in improving their livelihoods.
